Umbrella



Patented June 14, 1938 PATENT oFFIcE 2,120,959 UMBRELLA Irving Hollander, New Hollander Patents York, N. Y., assignor to Corporation, New York,

N. Y., a corporation of New York Application November 26, 1935, Serial No. 51,585

4 Claims.

4This invention relates to improvements in umbrellas and more particularly to a means for securing and reinforcing the radial seam folds of an umbrella cover adjacent the central opening thereof.

lIt is the present practice in the manufacture of umbrellas to hand stitch the seam folds adjacent the central opening of the umbrella cover through which the umbrella staff extends. This practice is not only costly, but produces a relatively weak construction with the result that in use the cover frequently rips outwardly from its center or crown. Therefore, one of the main features of the invention resides in a simple and inexpensive connector which eliminates hand stitching and which serves to reinforce the central "opening in the umbrella cover to prevent ripping and tearing at the crown thereof when the cover is subjected to strain during use.

Another feature of the invention is to provide a ring connector which may be removed by a single cutting operation should it be desired to remove the connector for repair to or replacement of the `cover of an umbrella.

A further feature of the invention is the provision of a ring connector which provides a central anchorage for the `gores of an umbrella cover and which acts as a grommet through which the staiT of an umbrella extends when the parts thereof are assembled.

With these and other objects in View, the invention resides in the certain novel construction, combination and arrangement of parts, the essential features of Which are hereinafter described, are particularly pointed out in the appended claims, and are illustrated in the accompanying drawing, in which:

Figure 1 is a fragmentary perspective View of an umbrella cover with the invention applied thereto.

vFigure 2 is a top plan view.

Figure 3 is an enlarged vertical sectional view on the line 3-3 of Figure 2.

Figure 4 is a collective perspective view of the ring connector with thev parts thereof separated.

Referring to the drawing by reference characters, the numeral I0 designates a fragmentary portion of an umbrella cover which is constructed of a plurality of gores II radiating from a common center, the gores being connected at the seams I2, the said seams extending radially from the center of the cover. rlhe center of the cover is provided with the usual opening I3 through which the staff of an umbrella is adapted to be extended when the cover is in position upon the umbrellal frame.

My improved connector includes a pair of coacting flat ring members or discs I4 and I5. The ring member I4 is somewhat wider than the ring member I 5 and is provided with normally spaced upstanding pointed prongs I6. The prongs I6 extend from the inner peripheral edge of the ring member I4 and are bendable in a manner presently to be explained.

The ring member I5 is of a size to telescope the normally upstanding pointed prongs I6, for it is over the ring member I5 that the said prongs are bent when the connector is in use.

After the umbrella cover I0 has been formed by joining the gores II and the opening I3 has been formed centrally of thecover, the ring member I4 is placed against the under side of the cover substantially concentric with respect to the opening I3 and suiicient pressure is applied thereto to cause the prongs I6 to pass through the fabric covering, whereupon the said prongs extend beyond the upper side of the cover. The ring member I5 is then placed against the top of the covering in telescoping relation with the extending prongs I6, after which the prongs I6 are bent downwardly and outwardly over the ring member I5 as clearly shown in Figure 3 of the drawing. Thus it will be seen that the ring members I4 and I5 coact to provide a clamping ring between which the gores of the covering are clamped, the prongs I6 passing through certain of said gores.

, f From the foregoing description, it will be seen that the anchoring of the connector adjacent the central opening will reinforce the cover at the center and provide a grommet through which the stair of the umbrella extends whenthe cover is in assembled position with the other parts of an umbrella. This connector prevents ripping of the gores and seamsfrom the cro-wn or central portion of the covering, for it is to be understood that the cover is placed under considerable tension when the umbrella frame is moved from a collapsed to an open position.

Should an occasion arise for the removal of the connector from the umbrella cover, it is not necessary that an operator bend all of the prongs I6 to a position to release the outer `clamping ring I5 for it is only necessary that a cutting tool be applied to the ring I5 to split the same, whereupon the ring may be bent or spread so as to clear the outwardly bent prongs. Thus the two Aringmembers may be separated from the cover for such repair or replacement as may be necessary.

While I have shown and described what I consider to be the most practical embodiment of my invention, I Wish it to be understood that such changes and alterations as come within the scope of the appended claims may be resorted to when desired.

Having thus described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by LettersPatent of the United States, s:-

1. In combination, a fabric umbrella cover having a central opening therein for the passage of an umbrella stick and including a plurality of connected radially extending tapered gores, a pair of clamping rings respectively disposed on opposite sides of said cover and disposed outside said opening, one of said clamping rings being provided at its inner periphery with pointed prongs Which penetrate said gores, said prongs being bent outwardly over the other clamping ring for securing said clamping rings in clamping engagement with opposite sides of said cover the tapered ends of said gores extending a substantial distance within the rings.

2. In combination, `a fabric umbrella cover having acentral opening therein for the passage of an umbrella stick and including a plurality of connected radially extending gores, a pair of at clamping rings respectively disposed against the inner and outer sides of said cover and positioned substantially concentric with respectto the axis of said opening and disposed outwardly of the same, spaced upwardly extending pointed prongs integral with the inner clamping ring and extending from the inner peripheral edge of said clamping ring and piercing certain of said gores Vat a substantial distance from said opening, said g ings, one of said discs being provided with prongs Vthat extend through the cover and through the other disc Vand are compressed upon the said other disc whereby the fabric is held in position both by the compression of the discs and by the prongs.

4. A connector for securing the apex ends of the tapered gores of an umbrella cover together and wherein the umbrella cover is provided with a central opening at the apex ends of the gores for the passage of an umbrella staff, comprising a pair of flat ring members having like internal diameters and vbetween which the apex portions of the gores of an umbrella cover are adapted to be interposed, and spaced pointed prongs extending from the inner peripheral edge of one of the ring members and normally projecting at right angles to the plane of the flat sides thereof, the pointed prongs of the prong ring member adapted to pierce the apex ends of certain of the gores of an umbrella cover adjacent the central opening therein and extend through the other ring member for bending outwardly thereover to maintain the inner at faces of the ring members in clamping engagement with the gores of an umbrella cover interposed therebetween.

IRVING HOLLANDER. 

